Some of the children involved were as young as ten, with victims more likely to be young girls.

Simon Bailey, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for child protection, said: ‘There is a worrying upward trend in children sharing sexual images, particularly regarding children who pass on indecent images of others.

‘Sharing and possessing these images is against the law. Once an image is shared with others it can cause deep embarrassment and distress.

‘I am concerned about the impact that exposure to extreme pornography can have on children so we need to consider if a lack of universal relationship and sex education is compounding the problem.’

Police forces in England and Wales recorded 6,238 sexting offences in 2016/17, which was a 131% increase on 2014/15 when 2,700 cases were logged.

The highest number of incidents involved children aged 14 years old and they normally took place in August – during the school holidays.

Mr Bailey added: ‘There is also undoubtedly more to be done to remove indecent imagery quickly and robustly from across social media platforms once it has been shared or posted without consent.’

There had previously been concerns children could be routinely criminalised over sexting cases but he Home Office had tried to address this by allowing police to log an offence without any formal action being taken.

But this was only allowed in incidents where it was in the public interest and there was no evidence of exploitation or malicious intent.

The NSPCC said the new figures on sexting among children were ‘extremely worrying’, adding: ‘It is vital that parents and schools talk to children about the dangers of sexting as soon as they are given any technology.”

‘Once a child sends a picture of themselves they have no control over where it is shared or who sees it, and images can end up online.

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‘This can leave a child feeling humiliated and even lead to them being bullied or blackmailed.’

A child who is worried about any pictures they have shared can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or at Childline.org.uk.